


Premonition

by yeettoss



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dragons, Durmstrang, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Hogwarts, Impossible Tasks, Mysterious deaths, Quidditch, Seer, Slow Burn, Triwizard Tournament, Viktor Krum's Friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:48:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27948593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeettoss/pseuds/yeettoss
Summary: When Adriana Hartevelt's name is pulled out of the Goblet of Fire, it comes as a surprise to everyone. As the only girl from Durmstrang, she'll have to balance surviving three impossible tasks and keeping her peers in check while she hides a dangerous secret.Her unconventional success in the first task is scrutinised by spectators, students and reporters alike but none seem to care so much as Fred Weasley, a sixth year Hogwarts student, who loves nothing more than a puzzle - and Ana may just be the most interesting one he's ever come across.
Relationships: Fred Weasley/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> I've been planning and writing this story for a few years now, so it holds a very special place in my heart. I'd also like to say, although this is a fan fiction based off J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, I do not in any way stand with her disgusting view of the LGBTQ+ community. That being said, I hope you love the plot and all the characters I've created as much as I do. Happy reading!

_His fingers laced tightly with hers and warmth bloomed under her skin. Ana felt hot despite the cold air that whispered through the open window._

_"What's it like?" He murmured against her hair._

_"What's what like?"_

_"You know...knowing."_

_"Well, it's less predictable than you'd think. Nothing's ever set in stone, the future changes all the time. Even when I wished it wouldn't," Ana twisted around to face him, "I don't really know how to describe it. Just...imagine the world is made of smoke. Everything feels so real, it has shape, you can touch it, but a gust of wind or even the slightest breath can change everything."_

_"You make it sound beautiful."_

_"It's not. The future is ugly Fred." Ana's voice died in her chest. "Trust me."_

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE  
  
** _THE VULCHANOVA,_   
_ONE DAY BEFORE HALLOWE'EN 1994_

Waves slapped against the hull of the ship and saltwater split across the deck in flurries of white.

Below the deck of the skeletal vessel, candelabras swung from the ceiling in time with the rough tide, arcing soft light across the room. The main cabin, like the rest of the ship, was in a state of decomposing grandeur; dusty tapestries and heavy wooden furniture at odds with the potent smell of rotting fish and mildew growing in the damp corners.

The portholes that peppered the walls offered little to see other than the reflection of the setting sun against the waves and then nothing but pressing darkness as the ship was swallowed by the ocean.

The sudden lurch had the passengers out of their seats, toppling them into one another with scowls and rough elbows. The Durmstrang students were in a foul mood, having been trapped in small quarters for the better part of three days.

In a dark corner of the room, tucked into an armchair that smelt strongly of salt water, Adriana Hartevelt was concentrating hard on not being violently sick.

She had long-since turned an unflattering whiteish-grey, the rolling current doing little to settle her restless stomach. She wasn't the only one. Most of the students around her were all in varying stages of seasickness. All apart from Ilya Vanko opposite her, who looked annoyingly at ease.

"Please don't look so happy," Adriana groaned, fingers at her temples, "it's unsettling."

"Cheer up, Ana. Don't tell me you're not having fun." Ilya's smile grew at the horrible sound of retching coming from one of the other students. He turned in his seat to look at the offender.

"It helps if you stick your head between your knees." Ilya told a fragile-looking Axel Almer.

"Piss off, Vanko." Almer spat. Ilya let out a snort as Almer's head disappeared between his knees and out of sight. Ana kicked Ilya's shoe.

"Please don't start a fight. I'm in no fit state to help you when you get thoroughly beaten." Ana leant back in her armchair and stared up at the damp ceiling, counting her breaths.

Not that Axel Almer didn't deserve a good thrashing. He was a spiteful, arrogant boy, a sixth year like them, and close friends with the one person Ana really couldn't stand - Gavril Poliakoff. She couldn't help the sneer that crept over her face at the thought of him.

"It's not my fault Almer's got a weak stomach." Ilya said loudly, his eyes glinted wickedly in the candlelight. Almer must have heard because he flicked Ilya a rude gesture, his head between his knees.

"You are hopeless."

"Hopelessly charming - or at least your mum thought so when I visited during the summer."

"Low blow, Vanko. What did I say about bringing my mother into things?"

"Must have slipped my mind." Ilya winked.

"Well, we all know your mind is a disgustingly slippery place, so no wonder."

"You're just being snippy because you're seasick."

"Sorry," Ana apologised, her head lolling upright, "I can't help it. I've never liked boats. I think I'm permanently scarred from that sailing trip my Uncle Avis forced Daniel and I on when we were little."

"I'm sure an all-expenses-paid weekend away with the Dutch Minister of Magic would have been awful for you. I'm so sorry."

"I'm serious, I can't even look at seafood anymore without feeling queasy."

Ilya snorted and went back to the book he had been reading before the ship had gone beneath the waves. 

Ana watched him fondly. Ilya was simultaneously the best and worst friend she'd ever had. He was sarcastic, rude and self-absorbed to the point of ridiculousness. But he could be charismatic when he wanted, and she'd never known him to back down from a fight. He was a constant thorn in her side, but the tolerable kind - the kind she missed when they had to part ways for the summer.

And last summer had felt endless without him.

Ana picked at the loose threads on her cuff to keep her mind off her rolling stomach. She missed dry land and the warmth of the sun on her face and the smell of fresh air. She was left feeling oddly paper-thin without it.

Both sunshine and a summers breeze were difficult to come by at Durmstrang, no matter the season. The students spent most of their time cooped up inside the fortress in the mountains, doing their best to keep out of the bitter cold and snow that coated everything on the sprawling, slippery plateau. Not that it was any warmer inside the castle. Ana couldn't even count the number of students that had been forced to see the Matron with mild cases of hypothermia in their first year until they learnt how to cast a decent warming charm on their cloaks and gloves.

"I wonder what it'll be like." Ilya said, breaking her train of thought. He had dropped his book back into his lap.

"Hm? What - Hogwarts?" Ana asked.

"Obviously."

A deep voice interjected, "whatever it is like, I hope it is nothing like Durmstrang."

Ana and Ilya turned to look at who had spoken.

Theo Carbin, a seventh year student, was staring at the pair of them with a lopsided grin. He was a beast of a boy, all thick muscle and wild blonde hair. He sat across the cabin at a round table with the devastatingly good-looking Evanstad twins, Emil and Johan. Both brothers seemed entirely uninterested in their conversation. Johan was asleep, his head tipping back with each rock of the ship and Emil had his nose buried in an old newspaper, resolutely ignoring the soft snores escaping his brother's open mouth.

"Didn't your father go to Hogwarts, Hartevelt?" Theo asked, leaning back in his seat, twirling his wand between his fingers.

"Yeah he did, how'd you know?" Ana asked, brow furrowing. She couldn't remember if she had ever had a single conversation with Theo Carbin in all the years she had been at Durmstrang. She was surprised he even knew her name.

"Daniel." Theo said, by way of explanation.

Ana could have groaned. Her older brother Daniel had an infamously loud mouth. With his future career in politics, it was no wonder he had been all too happy to boast about his connection to Hogwarts to anyone who would listen. He was three years older than Ana, but infinitely more annoying.

"Merlin, I'm sorry. Daniel likes to...talk."

Theo waved a hand, "Daniel was cool. What is he up to now? Last I heard he found himself a pretty girlfriend and bagged himself job at the Ministry."

"That about sums him up," Ana smiled, "he's good. He moved in with Eliza last summer. They've got an apartment together by the river in Den Haag so I don't see him much but Mum tells me my Uncle Avis is working him hard. No special treatment, even for family."

"Oh that's right. Your Uncle is the Dutch Minister of Magic, isn't he?"

"Eleven years now." She nodded.

"Talk about connections, reckon you can hook me up after school?"

"Mm, we'll see. Depends how nice you are to me this year."

"I'll keep that in mind, Hartevelt." Theo laughed. He sent her a wink as he swivelled back to talk to Emil.

Ilya wiggled his eyebrows at her, " _depends how nice you are to me this year?_ " He mocked. Ana levelled him with a scathing look.

"Not a word, Vanko."

"Aren't you excited to see where your old man went to school?" He changed tact, knowing better than to rile her up further.

"I've seen a few pictures but Dad always likes to tell us stories about what him and his group of friends got up to while they were there."

"I like your Dad, he's wicked. I have no idea how he made someone as uptight as you though, absolutely no resemblance."

"Don't be rude" Ana swotted his arm, "I remember this one time when Daniel and I were little he let us ride our brooms inside the house while Mum was working. You know - those kid broomsticks that barely get a foot off the ground? Anyway, I loved mine and Dad used to let us fly wherever we liked so long as we didn't cause any trouble. Mum only found out what he was letting us do when I broke the grandfather clock in the entry hall that her brother gave her. I forgot how to brake and ran into it at full speed, nearly lost my eye."

"Is that why you've got the -" He gestured to the faint scar across her temple.

Ana nodded, rubbing the raised line that stretched into her hairline, "Mum was furious. I've never seen her go so red before in my life."

"And not since, I'll bet, you goody-two-shoes."

"I am not."

"You are too and you know it."

"Fru Helsing would disagree." Ana retorted, thinking about their Magical Combat Instructor.

Ilya winced, "Reckon the teachers at Hogwarts can be any worse?"

"Nobody beats Helsing. I still have the scars from second year."

"You and me both." He ran a hand over the back of his neck.

"I think the teachers may be the least of our problems," Ana looked around at the others in the cabin, "we're all competing for the same thing now. You know how this lot can be, the other schools won't be the only ones we need to watch out for."

Durmstrang was infamous for its unusual approach to teaching, Ana had always known that.

To them, there was no such thing as Dark Magic. There was only power, and those wilful enough to use it to their advantage. Their Instructors blatantly favoured students who displayed an aptitude for powerful magic, and so everyone was fiercely competitive, all vying for the top spot in their classes.

_Adapt and survive_. It was a lesson that had been beaten into them since first year.

Most could handle the pressure that came with constantly performing at such an advanced level, but there were always a few that failed to return each year. Ana's classes had become rather small since Karkaroff's appointment as Headmaster. He had wanted to broaden the education of his students to cover all sorts of unsavoury topics. Like how he had insisted they learn about creation of the Inferi and hunting rituals of The Hidebehind in their fourth year. Ana had suffered through nightmares for _months_.

The strong and the gifted ruled the halls of Durmstrang, and Instructors turned a blind eye to the bullying of younger, weaker students. Ana had managed to make it into her sixth year relatively unscathed, despite her average abilities. She had her Uncle Avis to thank for that. Nobody dared harm Avid Van Aalsburg's niece - or at least most of them weren't stupid enough to. Instead, they gave her a healthy berth and treated her as though she was a visiting dignitary, as if she would report any misdeeds to her Uncle should she spot them.

Only Gavril Poliakoff and Axel Almer seemed undaunted by her family ties. Their particular brand of bullying was far more subtle than the usual hex in the corridors. Poliakoff had blown up her Shrinking Solution in third year, landing Ana, Ilya and their best friend Tereza Dessislava in the Matron's Ward for a week. Then Axel had _Confunded_ her during their last quidditch match of the season in fifth year, causing her to score in her own goal. She wasn't sure she'd ever recover from _that_ embarrassment.

Not that she could ever prove either of them did anything. They both had airtight alibis each time she pointed the finger. Her accusations alone had landed her in disciplinary for a week apiece.

It was just Ana's luck that Karkaroff had selected them all to join the delegation to represent Durmstrang at the Triwizard Tournament. All except Tereza, who had thrown a spectacular tantrum at the news her two best friends would be gone for an entire year. She'd made Ana and Ilya promise to spend Christmas with her, which Ana had agreed to wholeheartedly.

Ana couldn't quite believe she was one of the chosen few. Perhaps Karkaroff had picked her to please her Uncle, or perhaps he too believed the old rumours about the prophetic abilities of the witches who came from the Van Aalsburg line - her mother's family. Whatever the case, Ana had been hand-picked to go to the Tournament, no matter how unprepared she felt she was.

Nobody else seemed to share her worries. Ilya had been chosen for his talent with non-verbal wandwork. Gavril Poliakoff, Ivar Dokken and the Evanstad brothers had been picked for their powerful charms. Axel Almer and Theo Carbin could win on their brute strength alone. Martin Dotseth, Kristoffer Bergerson and Valter Dahl were deadly when it came to combat magic. And Viktor Krum, _the_ Viktor Krum, was fantastically nimble on a broom and a brilliant wizard to boot. 

As the only girl to be included in the selection of geniuses, celebrities and powerful wizards, Ana couldn't figure out how she managed to fit in. She wasn't so humble to discredit her knack for complex charms but in a competition for glory what was a non-verbal Aguamenti Charm supposed to do?

She would have kept spiralling into a pit of self-doubt if it hadn't been for the ship shuddering to a complete stop in the water, throwing everyone in the cabin forward by several feet. Ilya, annoyingly, was the only one who hadn't been ejected from his chair. Ana caught her friend's eye as Valter Dahl had an entire cabinet fall on to his thick head, the yellowing china inside shattering on the floorboards.

"What are they doing on the bridge? Trying to kill us all before we even get there?" Theo Carbin joked from where he'd fallen to the ground, looking rattled.

"I think we've arrived." Ilya replied.

_The_ _Vulchanova_ shuddered again and there was a horrible swooping sensation as it climbed rapidly towards the surface. The thundering roar of rushing water was inescapable. For a moment Ana was sure that the ship would break apart under the pressure, but it was over as quickly as it had began.

The final lurch of the ship breeching the surface sent the students flying once more. Ilya was finally caught by surprise and ended up sprawled across the floor.

"That was fun." He quipped, his usually neat hair only in slight disarray as he pushed himself up.

"No it wasn't." Came a low groan from Kristoffer Bergerson who was holding his head.

The ship creaked, still rocking as the students pushed themselves towards the portholes for a glimpse of Hogwarts. Her nose pressed against the salty glass, Ana caught a brief flash of a magnificent sunset and a vast castle before loud footsteps echoed out overhead.

The door to their cabin banged open and Martin Dotseth, Viktor Krum and Ivar Dokken strode through, all looking grimly pleased that they'd arrived in one piece.

"He's coming." Dokken said.

There was a great rush of movement following Dokken's announcement as a new set of footsteps could be heard down the gangway. Ana hurried into formation with the rest of the students, hands smoothing out her uniform and fixing her already neat ponytail.

Ilya moved leisurely into his spot beside her, unflappable as always. He shot her a smile before they all simultaneously faced the door and fell to attention, hands clasped behind backs, feet shoulder-width apart.

There was some confusion as Johan and Theo got their cloaks mixed up and then the cabin door banged open for a second time and Igor Karkaroff stepped through.

Goatee slicker than an oil wick and eyes blacker than coal, Karkaroff was an intimidating man to stand before, even after three awful days at sea. Ana hadn't seen him once since they departed the north, not even during meal times, having cloistered himself to his rooms.

Ana averted her eyes and raised her chin as he surveyed the group, his thin mouth twisted into a sneer.

"There are only three rules I will enforce while we are here. One; you are representing Durmstrang, and you will do nothing to embarrass me or the name of our school. Two; there will be no fighting with one another. Save it for the competition. And three," he spoke softly, "One of you will be crowned the Triwizard Champion by the end of this tournament, or face my extreme...displeasure."

Ana swallowed.

"That will be all." Karkaroff banged his staff on the ground, red sparks flying out. He levelled one last chilling stare at them before he swept out of the room in a flash of sleek silver furs.

There was a beat of silence and then everyone was scrambling to follow after him. Ana joined the line behind Ilya and Viktor Krum, the latter who was sneezing rapidly into a deteriorating tissue.

"How you holding up, mate?" Ilya clapped a hand to Krum's rounded shoulder.

"I do not like boats." He sounded slightly nasal, as though he was recovering from a terrible head cold. Ana gave him a sympathetic smile as his dark eyes fell on hers.

"Hartevelt." He greeted. She bobbed her head in greeting.

"I wouldn't call this rust bucket a boat." Ilya laughed, "you'd think for such a prestigious school they could afford something with a little less...mould."

"Ah, you ask too much." Krum mumbled.

The boys led the way down the gangway and up into the fresh air above. It was brighter than she'd thought it would be, but the sun was setting fast over the great black lake _The Vulchanova_ had risen out of. Ana breathed in deeply once they had emerged on deck. Merlin, it felt good to be outside again.

"Would you look at that." Ilya said, pointing to the enormous castle that sat on a hill above the lake.

The sprawling structure twinkled with brightly lit windows and towered overhead, hundreds of turrets reaching into the night sky. Miles of green, sloping lawn led down to a thick forest, and the shadows of quidditch hoops loomed in the distance.

Karkaroff was already off the ship and striding across the grass. Ana and Ilya hurried to keep up. Hundreds of Hogwarts students had amassed outside to catch a glimpse of the foreigners. Row upon row of curious faces and excited whispers greeted them. Ana tried to ignore the voices that rippled through the crowd as soon as they spotted Viktor Krum. She stuck close to Ilya and kept her head down as they approached.

"Karkaroff!" A booming voice came from the Entrance Hall where a very tall, very old wizard stood. He wore a genial smile had tucked the tail of his long beard into his belt.

"Dumbledore," Karkaroff flashed his yellow teeth, "how good it is to be here, how...good." He turned to his students, his winning smile slipping somewhat.

"Hurry up, boy...into the warmth," He beckoned Viktor forward, "you don't mind Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold."

An explosive level of chatter erupted from the Hogwarts students as soon as Viktor was pushed forward into the light. Ana bit down on her grin and shuffled obediently forward to where Albus Dumbledore acknowledged each of them with a polite nod as they filed past.

"Welcome, welcome," He beamed, "Welcome to Hogwarts!"

"Sir." With a half-hearted curtsey that was ruined by Ilya linking arms with her to pull her inside, Ana ventured into the warmth of the Entrance Hall, leaving the piercing stare of Albus Dumbledore behind. 


	2. The Feast

The Great Hall was heaving with students.

The four long tables groaned under the weight of the food that had been prepared for the feast. Ana had never seen anything quite like it. Tureens of mashed potatoes stood next to boats of gravy and platters heaped with roast meat. She kept half an eye on a nearby stack of savoury tarts that wobbled dangerously as everyone tucked in.

Ana had found herself at the table closest to the windows, wedged in between Ilya and Viktor Krum. She could hardly cut into her fish without knocking elbows with the boys on either side of her. At least Krum had the decency to look apologetic at the seating arrangements. Ilya didn’t seem to notice, what with him busy chatting the ear off the poor boy from Hogwarts who had sat next to him. He didn’t even bat an eye when Ana rammed her elbow into his ribs in retaliation for the pumpkin juice he had just knocked into her lap.

“Alright, Hartevelt?” Theo Carbin winked at her over the platter of roast sausages between them.

“Fantastic thanks,” Ana muttered, glaring at Ilya as he jostled her again. 

Theo grinned at her obvious discomfort, “I’ll bet. Now tell me, have you ever seen something like that before?” Theo tilted his head back and pointed up, “I mean, it can’t be real...can it?”

Ana followed his gaze up to the enchanted ceiling that stretched overhead beyond a canopy of floating candles. She shook her head. “It’s not. Dad mentioned they had an enchanted ceiling at Hogwarts. Nice to know he wasn’t just pulling my leg.” She watched a set of heavy clouds drift across the moon, blotting it out. It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn’t simply open on to the heavens.

Theo snorted, “sounds like an interesting guy.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” She gave Theo a genuine smile despite the vein that had just started to throb behind her eye. A bad headache was coming on, she could feel it. If she was lucky, that would be all it was. She never knew how to separate a normal headache from the rush of confusing images and sounds that often drowned her dreams. Ana brought a hand to her temple. It was just too loud in the Great Hall. The nervous excitement of nearly a thousand students all talking at once bounced off her ears at a low roar.

It was hard not to draw comparisons between Hogwarts and Durmstrang. Meal times had been quiet affairs at the Institute. Students were encouraged to eat in silence, and the cooks favoured plain dishes of salted fish and boiled vegetables. Even on celebratory occasions. Ana had never seen so much food in one place before. Hogwarts had been lavishly decorated too. Bundles of autumn leaves trailed through the air, caught in an enchanted breeze, and enormous acorns the size of her closed fist were placed along the tables. An empty chalice took pride of place in the Hall, sitting innocuously in front of the teacher’s table. It must have been a new addition, judging by the number of Hogwarts students who kept pointing towards it. Roughly hewn and undecorated, the goblet looked no taller than she was. Just staring at it made something on Ana’s neck prickle.

Her train of thought was broken by the unhurried footsteps of an enormous woman who seemed to float towards the table at the top of the hall with considerable grace, despite her size. She took her seat at the teacher's table and struck up a loud conversation with the rather strict-looking witch beside her.

“Who is that?” Ana asked aloud to no one in particular, unable to look away from the large witch whose black, liquid-looking eyes seemed to absorb the light around her.

“That is Madame Maxime, the Beauxbatons Headmistress.” Johan Evanstad supplied helpfully from across the table, nodding towards the French students who sat in a clump on the opposite side of the hall. He looked considerably more awake than he had done back on the ship, some colour had returned to his pale cheeks, although his black hair was hopelessly messy. 

“That’s one big woman.” Theo declared, pointed his fork towards Madame Maxime — as if he could have been speaking about anyone else.

Ana had to agree. Madame Maxime was easily the biggest witch she had ever laid eyes upon. Dressed head to toe in black satin, she made quite a picture sat at a table with wizards whose heads barely came up to her elbows.

“Never thought I’d be in the same room as the legendary Albus Dumbledore.” Emil said conspiratorially, leaning his elbows on the table, eyes fixed on the Hogwarts headmaster who chatted animatedly with Karkaroff. 

“Dumbledore’s an old fool. If you ask me, he’s lucky the Governors even allowed him to stay on as Headmaster after the fiasco of last year.” The boy who Ilya had been talking to suddenly interjected. At the blank looks of Ana and her friends, his cheeks flushed.

“Our last Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher turned out to be a werewolf.” The boy continued, squirming at the attention everyone in the vicinity were now giving him. Even Krum had lowered his goblet to stare at him. 

“Who are you?” Theo said rather rudely. 

“Pucey. Adrian Pucey.” He looked relieved and offered his hand to Theo who shook it once, hastily.

“Theodore Carbin — charmed.” Theo replied, not sounding charmed at all.

“Well met. And who are the rest of your friends?” Pucey asked, peering around at them.

Sensing another rude comment from Theo, Ilya jumped in. “These are the Evanstad brothers, Johan and Emil. Very good at curses, wouldn’t cross them on a good day if I were you. This here is the delightful Adriana Hartevelt, brightest witch you’ll ever meet. And of course you know Viktor Krum, he's rather good at Quidditch.”

“Viktor Krum. Pleasure to meet you. I saw you at the World Cup. Great bit of flying.” Unperturbed by Krum’s complete lack of response, Pucey turned his calculating gaze towards Ana and tried again to strike up some sort of conversation. 

“Adriana Hartevelt…Hartevelt, why is that name so familiar? You’re not related to the Dutch Minister, Avis Van Aalsburg, by any chance are you?”

“He is my uncle.” Ana retorted, reaching for her goblet. She watched Pucey from the corner of her eye. He had all but lit up at the mention of her relation to the Van Aalsburg's and leant around Ilya to speak to her properly. 

“How wonderful. I know someone who would be very interested in meeting you. He's just - Malfoy!” Pucey called out to the boy who had been talking to Krum.

“What is it, Pucey?” The boy Ana presumed was Malfoy drawled, looking rather put out to have been interrupted. He had a thin face and silvery blonde hair that had been slicked back. His eyes flickered across to her and then back to Pucey. She clearly wasn't worth his attention. Ana stared impassively back. 

“This is Minister Avis Van Aalsburg’s niece, Adriana Hartevelt.” Pucey introduced, “Hartevelt, I'd like to introduce you to Draco Malfoy.”

Draco Malfoy’s pale eyes roved from her dark hair in its neat ponytail to her eyes and then down to the grey crest on her red robes. His mouth twisted into a polite smile.

“Your Uncle knows my father very well, Miss Hartevelt.” Malfoy stated after a lengthy pause.

“Does he? I must apologise, I’ve never heard him mention your family before.”

“Well I’m sure your Uncle has much better things to do than share details of his work with you.” Malfoy's smile had turned sour, “Enjoy your stay at Hogwarts.”He leant back in his seat.

“Want me to hex his goblet? I think I can get it from here.” Ilya whispered lowly into Ana’s ear.

She relaxed her hands that she hadn't realised she had been clenching and shook her head, reaching for her goblet again. “No, don't. There's no need to cause a scene. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of opportunities for _that_ sort of behaviour later.” 

Ilya grinned, “I’ll look forward to it.”

“Behave.” She tried to stop the answering smile on her lips from showing.

“I always behave.”

Ana's raised eyebrows almost flew off her forehead, "Now that's a lie if I've ever heard one."

Emil Evanstad watched the pair of them with great interest.“You are much like married couple. Always…bickering.” He sniggered.

“Evanstad! Finally found your voice, have you? Shame you don’t have anything nicer to say.” Ilya fired back, good-naturedly.

“No matter. I’m sure we will share many nice words this year, Vanko.”

“Don’t make me blush.”

“Is he alvays like this?” Ana jolted as Viktor Krum turned to her, having finally pulled himself away from Malfoy’s incessant questions. He was looking at Ilya with great interest. 

She sighed, “unfortunately.”

Krum had a funny look on his face as he stared at her, as though he was thinking hard.“I haff seen you at school.” He said finally, “you are a sixth year, Hartevelt, yes?”

“Yeah, sixth year, and just Ana is fine. You know, I’ve been meaning to have a word with you. You injured my quidditch teacher during the World Cup. I haven’t been able to go flying for weeks thanks to you.”

“Vho-“

“Aidan Lynch - my tutor. He’s still in hospital, by the way.”

“Old men are so delicate.” Krum looked delighted.

Ana scowled, “aren’t they just.”

“You choose better teacher next time. Lynch haff terrible control over his broomstick.” Krum was laughing now. Others on their table craned their necks to look at what had made the famous Seeker so amused but Ana was too busy trying to keep her temper in check to notice. 

“Did you know they reset your nose off centre?” She snapped back. 

Krum was silent for a moment before he let out a guffaw, “I think I like you, Hartevelt.”

Ana, still ruffled, only rolled her eyes. “You’re not so bad yourself, Krum. Especially when you’re not running my flying instructors into the ground.” She said.

“You vood have done the same. I haff seen you fly. You are a Chaser for Izah, yes?” Krum asked, referencing one of Durmstrang’s three school houses. Ana’s eyes fell on the black dragon crest on his robes; Vurig. It was an appropriate House for a famous quidditch player, one that favoured the bold. 

“Four years now. My brother Daniel was the one who told me to join. He was a Chaser for Izah too.”

“How good.”

“I play quidditch too, for Slytherin! Perhaps you’d be game for a scrimmage some time.” Malfoy interrupted. Both Krum and Ana resolutely ignored him although they shared a look that had her hiding her smile behind her napkin. 

* * *

The night wore on and as the plates emptied, the conversation turned to the reason they were all there — the Tournament itself.

“How do you suppose they choose who will compete in the Tournament?” Ilya asked. He'd long-since shed his cloak and had even gone as far to roll up the sleeves of his uniform. Ana had only taken off her cloak, which now lay tangled at her feet. 

“Each school selects their own candidate?” Theo suggested, playing with his napkin.

Johan shook his head, “they wouldn’t have bothered bringing all twelve of us if that was the case. No, there must be another test we have to pass.”

“Merlin, if I have to go through another one of Karkaroff’s insane tasks, I won’t make it. Did you see him set me on fire during the final round during the trials?” Ana moaned.

“You and me both, Hartevelt. I almost lost an arm during my Magical Combat match against Dokken.” Theo chuckled.

As it turned out, they didn’t have to speculate for long. Once the golden plates had been wiped clean, vanishing with a faint popping noise, a palpable tension filled the air as Albus Dumbledore stood to address them.

“Now that we have all been fed and acquainted, I would like to say a few words.” His half-moon spectacles could not disguise the twinkle in his eyes.

“The Triwizard Tournament is about to begin, but first, let me introduce Mr Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation -“

“Have you ever seen a more miserable looking man?” Ilya commented dryly. Ana let out a bubble of laughter, taking in Mr. Crouch’s spotless robes and perfect moustache. He didn’t look overly excited to be there.

“-and Mr Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports.”Polite applause rang around the Great Hall, coupled with a few excited whispers. Krum didn’t clap at all but sat with his arms tightly crossed.

Ana tried to keep up with the complex rules Mr. Crouch sprouted about the tournament. The judging panel, age restriction and other formalities blending together. Ana found herself watching the teacher’s table.Karkaroff wasn’t paying attention to Mr. Crouch’s rules, instead talking with a young witch to his left who looked uncomfortable and twitchy whenever he leant to speak into her ear. The was a giant of a man sitting at the far end of the table, who wore a slightly smoking cloak, next to a tiny wizard whose chin barely reached the table. She didn’t recognise any of the teachers, other than Dumbledore of course. A wild and weather-beaten man loomed behind the teacher’s table. With a large chunk missing from his nose and a false eye, he looked like a butchered jigsaw puzzle. The nerve behind her eye gave a particularly nasty throb. Ana turned her attention back to Mr. Crouch.

“Now -“ Mr. Crouch continued, “the Triwizard Tournament is designed to test each champion in many different ways; magical prowess, daring, powers of deduction, and finally, their level-headedness in the face of extreme danger.”

Ana, like the rest of her cohort, remained unperturbed while the Hogwarts students dissolved into frantic whispers. Dumbledore stood once more and strode to rest his hand on a large chalice that had stood at the top of the hall all throughout the feast.It was an unremarkable thing, almost laughably plain. Or at least it was, until blue flames ignited within the cup and danced as though toyed by an invisible wind. A few of the students shrieked.

“The champions will be selected by an impartial judge: the Goblet of Fire. Anyone wishing to participate must simply write their name and school upon a slip of parchment, and drop it into the Goblet. Tomorrow night, Hallowe’en, the Goblet will decide upon the three champions — the three who it has judged to be the most worthy to represent their schools. The Goblet will remain in the Entrance Hall, where it will be freely accessible to all those who wish to enter.” Dumbledore’s piercing eyes swept over the curious crowd.

“Alas, many of you have come a long way and must be weary. It is time for bed. Goodnight to you all.”

There was a great deal of rumbling as a thousand students all rose from their seats at the same time. Ana jumped to her feet, only to stumble when her head panged uncomfortably. She brought a hand to her temple.

“Alright, Ana?” Ilya asked in an undertone, noticing her wincing.

“Fine, fine.” She brushed him off.

“Its — its not happening now, is it?” He asked quietly, looking concerned.

“I’m fine, I promise. Let’s just get out of here.” She led the way, walking quickly through the doors and into the Entrance Hall. She lost Ilya in the main crush of students, and hovered by the front doors, waiting for him to catch up.

“Out of my way —“

Ana looked in time to see Gavril Poliakoff land a well-aimed elbow into the side of a very tall Hogwarts student.

“Hey! Watch it!” The student protested as Poliakoff with Axel Almer and Ivar Dokken in tow all shoved their way past. The Hogwarts boy and his friends gathered anxiously, staring after the Durmstrang students with barely concealed rage.

“Come on Fred. Just leave it.” The boy’s friend persuaded, her braids cascading over one shoulder. She tugged on his arm but he refused to move, still watching Poliakoff and his posse with a disgusted scowl.

“Yeah, let’s go back to the common room, Fred.” Another boy said.

“No. I don’t think you go anywhere,” Poliakoff rounded on the group, “you think you can bump into me like this and not apologise?”

Ana couldn’t help herself, “pack it up, Poliakoff.” She called out, striding forward, “you’re embarrassing yourself.”

“Hartevelt,” Poliakoff spat, turning to face her, “should haff known you’d stick up for scum like-“

Her wand was drawn before she even knew what she was doing.

“Aaagh!”

Poliakoff clutched his throat as his tongue swelled in his mouth, effectively shutting him up. Ana tried not to grin. Nonverbal curses had been a specialty of Daniels, and last summer when she had come of age she had begged him to show her how to do it.The tongue-binding curse would wear off, but it was worth every bit of punishment she would receive from Karkaroff for the split second that Poliakoff’s eyes bugged and Almer and Dokken floundered to help him. The Hogwarts boy and his friends watched on, flabbergasted at Ana’s readiness to curse her own peers.

“Causing trouble already, are we?” A low voice asked in her ear. Ana smoothly hid her wand in the folds of her robes and batted her eyes at Theo who had snuck up behind her.

“You saw nothing, Carbin. Are we clear?” Her voice was uncharacteristically chilly despite the mirth dancing in her eyes.

“Like crystal, Hartevelt.” Theo vowed.

Karkaroff finally caught up with his students and Ana watched him scold Poliakoff, who was unable to do anything other than point at Ana furiously. A few feet behind them, Ilya, Johan and Emil watched the chaos unfold.Ana looked up and caught the eye of the Hogwarts boy Poliakoff had elbowed. He had remarkably red hair. She met his blazing gaze head on and gave him an imperceptible nod before she turned on her heel and strode off into the grounds.

“You know…she’s quite scary when she’s mad.” Theo’s voice trailed off.

“Oh that’s nothing. You should see her when she’s actually angry.” Ilya replied conversationally as they followed after her into the night.


End file.
